


Seeing Red

by completelyhopeless



Series: Operation Red Dress [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Pre-Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Pre-Avengers (2012), Pre-Bahrain, so mostly it's barton teasing coulson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2014-12-02
Packaged: 2018-02-27 20:18:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2705348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/completelyhopeless/pseuds/completelyhopeless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>May wears a red dress on assignment. This is very distracting to some people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seeing Red

**Author's Note:**

  * For [storiesfortravellers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesfortravellers/gifts).



> For the prompt: _[Agents of SHIELD, any/any, red dress](http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/519885.html?thread=75386061#t75386061)_
> 
> I went pre-series and threw in Clint & Natasha because I couldn't stop Clint from teasing Coulson. I swear the first time i saw this prompt it was going to be Phil/May shippy, but this came out instead, so maybe I'll try that first idea again sometime.

* * *

The choice of color was deliberate. May knew what she was doing when she combined a red dress with her ancestry in a place like this. She knew what the target thought when he looked at her, and the downcast eyes she kept giving him were only meant to add to that impression. She was exploiting every stereotype and cultural bias she could.

“Stop doing that,” Barton said from his perch. “It's creepy as hell to see you act all demure.”

She had to keep herself from laughing.

“You know what's creepy?” Coulson asked. “You knowing what 'demure' means.”

“You're just saying that because you don't want to admit how much seeing May in that dress turns you on.”

“Barton—”

“Red means luck in eastern culture, right?” Hawkeye went on. “So, May, someone getting lucky tonight?”

“Not you, that's for sure,” May muttered under her breath, and that time even Romanoff laughed.

“Focus, people,” Coulson said, and she could hear that tone in his voice that meant he was struggling to remain professional and in control of his temper. She liked that tone, liked when she provoked it. With Barton's help, it was too easy, though. “We still have one more guest who needs to show up to this party.”

“Maybe if we put Romanoff out as bait...”

“You're not too far enough away for me to shoot you, Hawkeye.”

“Children,” Coulson said, and May sipped from her drink to contain her laughter. “Do you need to have radio silence for this?”

May lowered her glass. “If this guy doesn't show up soon, it won't matter if we have radio silence. There's only so long I can play the blushing would-be bride.”

“Oh, Phil, you better get in there and claim her—”

“Barton, I swear—”

“Quiet,” Romanoff interrupted. “Second target just got here, and I think he doesn't care much for the color red.”


End file.
